Enterprise Architect - Digital Security | Corporate Services | Group Tech & Dig Platforms

Job Requisition ID: 180299 

Established in the 1930s as a trading business, Al-Futtaim Group today is one of the most diversified and progressive, privately held regional businesses headquartered in Dubai, United A”rab Emirates. Structured into five operating divisions; automotive, financial services, real estate, retail and healthcare; employing more than 35,000 employees across more than 20 countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, Al-Futtaim Group partners with over 200 of the world's most admired and innovative brands. Al-Futtaim Group’s entrepreneurship and relentless customer focus enables the organisation to continue to grow and expand; responding to the changing needs of our customers within the societies in which we operate. 

By upholding our values of respect, excellence, collaboration and integrity; Al-Futtaim Group continues to enrich the lives and aspirations of our customers each and every day.

Overview Of The Role:

• The Head of Security Architecture serves as the deputy to the CISO, providing strategic leadership and hands-on expertise in designing and implementing enterprise security architectures. The role involves technical depth and executive-level influence, ensuring the organization’s security posture is resilient and aligned with business objectives. It leads global security architecture and engineering functions, guides teams, influences stakeholders, and embeds security by design across the enterprise. The role is critical in defining strategies in AI security, Zero Trust, quantum readiness, and cloud-native security, and delivering architectural oversight for initiatives in cloud transformation, data protection, and secure SDLC practices.

What You Will Do:

Strategy & Leadership

• Define and drive the enterprise security architecture vision, strategy, and roadmap, aligned to business and technology strategy.
• Lead cross-functional efforts to embed security into business operations, digital transformation initiatives, and emerging technology adoption.
• Provide thought leadership on the evolving threat landscape, including AI security, Zero Trust, quantum readiness, and cloud-native security.
• Refresh and institutionalise the Group Security Strategy, establishing a Security Service Catalogue, ways of working, and a Target Operating Model.

Governance, Risk & Compliance

• Establish and maintain enterprise-wide architecture and security standards, frameworks, and patterns.
• Oversee security design reviews, risk assessments, and architecture assurance across projects, platforms, and third-party ecosystems.
• Partner with GRC teams to ensure compliance with global security, regulatory, and industry standards.
• Integrate security architecture with enterprise risk management, including vendor and third-party risk.
• Mature the Security Architecture operating model to improve consistency, scalability, and stakeholder satisfaction.

Technology & Architecture

• Define and maintain reference architectures, security controls, and technical standards across applications, infrastructure, cloud, and data environments.
• Drive secure adoption of emerging technologies including AI/ML, cloud-native services, Zero Trust, DevSecOps, and next-generation identity platforms.
• Provide architectural oversight for cloud transformation, data protection, identity management, and secure SDLC practices.
• Evaluate and integrate advanced cybersecurity tools to strengthen resilience and defense capability.

Security Engineering & Operations Collaboration

• Partner with engineering and SOC teams to embed architectural principles into operations, threat detection, and incident response playbooks.
• Support incident investigations and provide root cause analysis from an architectural perspective.
• Continuously improve defense-in-depth architecture and automate security controls at scale.

Team Leadership & Development

• Build, mentor, and lead high-performing architecture and engineering teams, fostering a culture of accountability and innovation.
• Define team structure, responsibilities, and career development pathways.
• Promote a collaborative and risk-aware culture across the organization.
• Act as a leader and coach, bridging technical depth with business acumen.

Required Skills To Be Successful:

• Strategy development and visionary leadership in security architecture.
• Experience with AI security, Zero Trust, quantum readiness, and cloud-native security strategies.
• Skills in establishing and maintaining security standards and frameworks across an enterprise.
• Ability to lead high-performing teams and foster a culture of accountability and innovation.

What Qualifies You For The Role:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Information Security, Computer Science, or a related discipline.
• Professional certifications such as CISSP, ISSAP, GIAC GDSA, CASP+/SecurityX, CISM, CCSP, SABSA, TOGAF or equivalent.
• 18+ years of progressive experience in information security, including 8+ years in enterprise security architecture or engineering leadership roles.
• Strong knowledge of modern security frameworks including Zero Trust, cloud-native security, secure DevSecOps, and IAM.

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